Henrico’s Top Teachers – Karen Bowles

By Tom Lappas, Citizen Editor (Photo by Robert Thomas for the Henrico Citizen)

02/16/12

As a licensed veterinary technician who worked in animal hospitals for 17 years, Karen Bowles became increasingly frustrated with the lack of qualified, trained technicians in the field.

“I wished for a class that would teach people how to do the job, so that we wouldn’t have to train them on the job,” she recalls.

In 2003, Bowles got her wish when Hermitage Technical Center started a veterinary science program for juniors and seniors. She was, however surprised by the teacher hired to run the program: herself.

“I had no intention of teaching it,” she says with a laugh. “I just wanted it to exist.”

Nine years later, the 44-student program is flourishing under Bowles’ leadership and has done exactly what she originally hoped it would – and then some. A number of current and former students hold jobs as veterinary technicians locally and elsewhere, while others have gone on to veterinary school. The program has been so successful that center officials recently added a second section because of high demand.

“It’s so cool when I call a veterinary hospital and one of my former students will answer the phone,” Bowles says. “That’s such a great reward.”

Bowles was a natural choice for the program because she had a teaching demeanor about her and had often been the one performing on-the-job training at the veterinary hospitals where she worked. She was encouraged to apply for the position and did so, thinking she’d be able to teach part time and remain in the working world part time.

“I can help these students who had that same dream that I had to become a reality,” she says. “The common thread is the love of animals. Every applicant lists that on their application. I always wanted to work with animals since I was 5, and most of these kids are the same way.”

In addition to her teaching role, Bowles also heads up the newly formed Tech Ethics Society at the center, through which about 80 students perform fundraising and community service projects.

“When observing her, one notices how organized and structured her class is and how the students function as a unified team when completing assigned tasks such as animal grooming, project presentations and surgical preparation,” a colleague wrote of Bowles in a nomination letter. “Her demeanor inside the classroom is the same as outside the classroom and the same with students and adults.”

More than a dozen animals – a cat, a rabbit, two gerbils, three ferrets, three rats, a hamster, a guinea pig, a bearded dragon and a chinchilla – live in the center, and Bowles brings her dog each day, giving students a wide range of real-world experience interacting with them. It’s not uncommon to see a student working on her laptop with a cat curled up in her lap, Bowles says.

The presence of the animals also serves as a calming influence for others in the center at the high school.

“Teachers will come visit the animals if they need the stress relief,” Bowles says. “Special needs students can come too, or sometimes we visit them and let them feed the animals. Sometimes a student will be having a bad day, and being around the animals can help ease the tension.”

One of the most tense moments Bowles herself experienced was during her first year of teaching, when the school was locked down because of a reported gunman in the building.

“I had 22 hysterical students that I had to pack into a small, dark room,” she recalls. “One was hyperventilating. One was claustrophobic. Several were crying. We had been trained in how to handle a situation like that, so I kept talking to them in a calm voice, telling them what we were going to do, and that everything was going to be alright.”

The scare turned out to be a false alarm, but it was an eye-opener for Bowles.

“That gave me the self-assurance that I could handle this, but it also made me realize that I’m a mom to 44 kids, besides my two at home. I probably see more of them most days than their parents do. It helped me to understand teenagers a little better.”

The 10th Annual Filipino Festival will be held Aug. 7-8 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 8200 Woodman Rd., beginning with opening ceremonies at 5 p.m. Friday and continuing with live entertainment, food and exhibits until 10 p.m. On Saturday the festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a full schedule of performances featuring traditional Filipino dance, music and song.

Filipino cuisine, including BBQ, pansit, lumpia, adobo, halo-halo, lechon, empanada and leche flan, will be available for purchase. The festival will also feature a children's area, church tours, exhibits, and health screenings. > Read more.

The Children’s Museum of Richmond last week opened its new Short Pump location at Short Pump Town Center, to the delight of children who attended a sneak preview of the location July 10. The new facility, located under the forthcoming LL Bean store (formerly the food court) is 8,500 square feet in size – much larger than CMoR’s former Short Pump location at West Broad Village, which opened in 2010. The new space includes The CarMax Foundation Service Station, the Silver Diner, a grocery store, a performance stage and an art studio, as well as a giant Light Bright Wall. > Read more.

The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Henrico Police are both presenting community events tomorrow, Aug. 1. The Feria Community Resource Fair at Richmond International Raceway brings together community service providers, embassies/consulates from Latin American countries, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and corporations that impact the Latino community. The Division of Police’s Community Day will feature demonstrations and displays from police, fire, animal protection and sheriff’s office, as well as family activities, food, entertainment and more. Other events this weekend include wine, chess and theatre! For all our top picks this weekend, click here! > Read more.